The Human Rights Monitoring Committee of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) condemns the unabated political killings of militant progressive leaders and activists, with the latest summary execution on 22 September 2005 of Mr. Diosdado Fortuna, President of the Nestlé Philippines Union and Pamantik, a trade union federation in Southern Tagalog affiliated with the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

The Human Rights Monitoring Committee of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) condemns the unabated political killings of militant progressive leaders and activists, with the latest summary execution on 22 September 2005 of Mr. Diosdado Fortuna, President of the Nestlé Philippines Union and Pamantik, a trade union federation in Southern Tagalog affiliated with the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

The summary execution of Mr. Fortuna by motorcycle riding men, coming on the heels of the killings of Atty. Norman Bocar and Pastor Raul Domingo in similar fashion, follows the same pattern of killings committed against progressive leaders and activists from Northern and Central Luzon, to Southern Tagalog, to Palawan and Eastern and Western Visayas since the beginning of this year.

These systematic killings are made to appear random but are actually premeditated with pre-selected targets and timetable carried out by teams of trained assassins of the military and police. They are directed by a secret staff under the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security headed by General Eduardo Ermita. This committee also includes Norberto Gonzales, National Security Adviser, Avelino Cruz, Secretary of National Defense, Gen. Angelo Reyes, Secretary of Interior and Local Government, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Director General of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

This same pattern of killings by motorcycle riding men was also carried out after the congressional elections in 1987 and before the local elections in 1988 against leaders and known activists of Partido ng Bayan, the left political party founded after martial law. At that time, General Ermita was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the AFP. Earlier in his military career, he had been involved as liaison officer of the Philippine military contingent with the US forces that carried out Operation Phoenix in Vietnam, the infamous CIA operation that assassinated more than 20,000 village leaders and civilians suspected of supporting the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam.

The reason why the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations have not advanced since June 2001 is the disruptive role played by the militarists like General Ermita and clerico-fascists like Norberto Gonzales. Both are rabid running dogs of US imperialism, who keep on sabotaging the peace negotiations.

We hold the US-Arroyo regime responsible for the summary executions being perpetrated with impunity by its minions in the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security. The continued killings of civilian progressive leaders and activists of the legal democratic movement constitute crimes against humanity which cry out for justice.